Atheism is a good faith for the upper to middle class that feel they are smarter then everyone else. Its true that the wealthy will not let anyone or anything spoil their privilege. The problem is they actually believe they are these super intellectual, smart human beings that have it all figured out. The scary part is its part of their faith to only care about themselves like some type of animal. Evolution is a myth, that is forced on kids in America by the government. An atheistic scientist cannot explain the origin of life on this planet. It's a mystery to them. A fairy tell or myth is to believe that life mysteriously appears out of no where all from blind chance.

November 23, 2012 at 11:53 pm |

End Religion

Day after day religious folks prove themselves vastly more stupid. It is hard not to feel smarter than your average Pedro.

Richard is correct. The church people put money in the collection plate (which is corrupt) and Dawkins sits in his big mansion laughing all the way to the bank as these atheist give him and other atheistic scientist millions of $ in book sales to have their ears tickled because they are fed up with corrupt religious leaders. His message is just worry about yourself, you probably only have 70 or 80 years of life so go out and make as much money as u can and do whatever you want

Evolution is a myth, Atheist are just as corrupt as the religious. USSR was an atheist country and Stalin was a monster. The new atheist are a cult that seems to have Dawkins as their leader. A fact in science is life always comes from preexisting life. We are not a product of blind chance

I Accepted Jesus christ as my lord and saviour. You never know how soon is too late. Transcend the worldly illusion of enslavement.
The world denounces truth....

Accepting Jesus Christ (for me) resulted in something like seeng a new colour. You will see it .....but will not be able to clearly explain it to anyone else..... Its meant to be that way to transend any selfism within you.

Also... much the world arranges "surrounding dark matter into something to be debated" in such a way that protects/inflates the ego.

The key is be present and transcend our own desire to physically see evidence. We don't know anyways by defending our own perception of dark matter.

Currently.... most of us are constructing our own path that suits our sin lifestyle. Were all sinners. Knowing that we are is often an issue. But both christians and non are sinners. Even once we are saved by christs merciful grace we will still experience adversity to mold us to adhering to the truth.
We will slip... But not fall of the ship ...carrying us onward to perfection in christs grace.

We don't like to Let go and let god. We want control to some degree. This is what Jesus asks us to do. "Follow me".
It's the hardest thing to do... but is done by letting the truth of scripture lead you (redemptive revelation)... as I said .

Try reading corinthians and see if it makes sense to you. Try it without a pre conceived notion of it being a fairy tale.
See the truth...
do we do what it says in todays society... is it relevant... so many have not recently read and only hinge their philosophy on what they have heard from some other person...which may have been full of arogance pride or vanity..

Just think if you can find any truth you can take with you ....in any of these things. When you die your riches go to someone who will spend away your life..... You will be forgotten.... history will repeat iteslf.... the greatest minds knowledge fade or are eventually plagerzed..... your good deeds will be forgotten and only give you a fleeting temporary reward . your learned teachings are forgotten or mutated..... your gold is transfered back to the rullers that rule you through deception. Your grave will grow over . This is truth .

Trancsend your egoism and free yourself from this dominion of satan. Understand you are a sinner and part of the collective problem of this worldly matrix... Repent.... Repent means knowing (to change) The Holy spirit (within) will convict you beyond what you think you can do by yourself. Grace is given to those who renounce the world. That are" in" the world but not "of " the world.

Faith comes by Reading or Hearing the word of god from the bible . Ask Jesus in faith for dicernment and start reading the new testament... You will be shocked when you lay down your preconceived notions and ....see and hear truth ... see how christ sets an example ... feel the truth....

Read Ecclesiastes. Read romans or corinthians.

You cant trancend your own egoism by adapting a world philosophy to suit your needs. Seek the truth in Christ.

Sell all your cleverness and purchase true bewilderment. You don't get what you want ....you get what you are by faith above reason in christ.

I promise this has been the truth for me. In Jesus christ .

Think of what you really have to lose. ...your ego?

Break the Matrix of illusion that holds your senses captive.

once you do . you too will have the wisdom of God that comes only through the Holy Spirit. Saved By grace through Faith. Just like seeing a new colour.... can't explain it to a transient caught in the matrix of worldly deception.
You will also see how the world suppresses this information and distorts it

You're all smart people . I tell the truth. Its hard to think out of the box when earthly thinking is the box.
I'ts a personal free experience you can do it free anytime . Don't wait till you are about to die.. START PUTTING YOUR TREASURES WHERE THEY REALLY MATTER >
Its awsome and It's just between you and Jesus

my testimony

Romans 10:9

"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved

Last eve I passed beside a blacksmith’s door,
And heard the anvil ring the vesper chime;
The, looking in, I saw upon the floor
Old hammers, worn with beating years of time.
“How many anvils have you had,” said I,
“To wear and batter all these hammers so?”
“Just one,” said he, and then with twinkling eye,
“The anvil wears the hammers out, you know.”
And so, thought I, the anvil of God’s Word,
For ages skeptic blows have beat upon;
Yet, though the noise of falling blows was heard,
The anvil is unharmed – the hammers gone.

Truth is..exclusive

November 23, 2012 at 6:42 pm |

Bloody L

I like the lesson the judge is imparting here, ie that religion and superst ition IS punishment! He's right and like someone said below, send him to be an altar boy in a catholic sodo my suite, I mean church, so he can get the "prison-experience" to put it nicely...religion is SICK!! So is this judge!

November 23, 2012 at 10:53 am |

ZeusDeusMaximus

He probably sentenced him to the WRONG church too, a christian one...HA HA HA puny human. On the bright side the kid can now sue the judge for afterlife-liability when they both become sporting clays for the god whose existence you still haven't disproven...ME!!!

is this even legal? i don't think a judge can make ou join the army any longer as punishment; so how canhe force you to church against your will.
probation i can understand, community service i can understand, but being told to attend a place i tink is full of crazies wouldn't work.

November 23, 2012 at 4:50 am |

just wondering

Are you one of those that tink for itself?

November 23, 2012 at 4:57 am |

WASP

@wondering: ok so let me get this correct. i ask a vaild question as to the legality of what this judge has done and instead of adding anything worth while all you do is nit pick my grammer?
that's real mature. the sandbox is located around back for the little kids to play in, enjoy.

November 23, 2012 at 11:42 am |

GodsPeople

he's a criminal because he's an atheist... ie, no real moral backing and no moral training. Church should help if he's willing to learn any morals. Atheists usually don't.

November 23, 2012 at 3:48 am |

John

Well, I guess I have to credit you for at least saying "atheists USUALLY don't." Still, this sort of misunerstanding about non believers is somehwat frustrating. I never understood why many theists think that non believers are amoral. Nothing could be further from the truth.Of course I have a sense of right and wrong. The only difference is, I don't believe it's the result of divine providence.

November 23, 2012 at 4:37 am |

Bloody L

GP makes the mistake of confusing "religion" with "ethics", which some would consider mutually-exclusive terms. But I can enlighten you GP without too many big words- ethical action does NOT require superst itious or supernatural underpinnings. People will usually do good just because it's in their nature, but absent that ANY teaching that parents do that is truthful and ethical will lead to children who also are truthful and ethical.

If, on the other hand, parents take the risk of teaching their kids that mythology is fact, they face the possible consequences of children having no firm ethical foundation because the holders of the respect and key-to-behavior, ie PARENTS, have lied to them, thus undermining a child's ability to tell right from wrong. See? Don't lie to kids, they see right through it whether they realize it or not, and they end up paying the price. Teach good behavior and live truthfully, then the world becomes a better place.

See? Simple, take out the supernatural foundational lie that self-interested superst itions tie to ethical behavior and you'll be modelling positively to your progeny. Sorry for the big words!

November 23, 2012 at 10:48 am |

Peteyroo

That judge really has his head up his backside.

November 23, 2012 at 1:38 am |

Gerhardt Frank

CNN... No Sharing on Facebook to our friends...? Whye..?

November 22, 2012 at 11:45 pm |

Atheism is not healthy for children and other living things

Prayer changes things.

November 22, 2012 at 6:08 am |

Peteyroo

Has prayer changed your desire to club baby seals, burn down orphanages and push old ladies in front of buses? I didn't think so.

November 23, 2012 at 1:36 am |

John

That's quite a blanket statement. I could make a similar argument that theism is not healthy for children. Teaching children a religious belief, as though it were a fact and sheltering children from alternative points of view, for fear they may not adopt your belief could certainly be construed as unhealthy. On the other hand: You believe what you believe, and of course you're going to share that with your children. Perhaps trying to understand someone elses position, even if you disagree, would be more productive than simply making imflammitory statements.

I iz a flamin fairy and I be luvin da gayboyz in my church group!! Us craaazy muslims can be pillow-bitaz too...even though Allah and Muhammed don't be down with da rump rangers....I will pack dat fudgy daily!!

November 22, 2012 at 12:43 am |

Robbo

Speaking of punishment...while one of my all-time favorite TV shows is " The Waltons "... something I always thought was not right was whenever one of the Walton kids– or even a guest child staying there - would commit some act of misbehavior, either Momma or Grandma would sit them down and make them learn Bible verses. Excuse me... I thought to myself, isn't that using the Bible as a form of punishment? Being as the family– with the exception of Daddy - were fervent Baptists, firm belief in the Bible is a given– but to force anyone to learn verses is really comparable to a child being forced to write out lines on the chalkboard at school. Also.... anyone can memorize the Bible– just like anyone can memorize the works of Shakespeare - but that does not mean they will appreciate those words, nor truly understand their meaning. As Sean Connery said to Kevin Costner in " The Untouchables " - Here ends the Lesson!

November 21, 2012 at 10:48 pm |

End Religion

Thanks, Your Honor! I attend the Church of Reality!
http://www.churchofreality.org/pot.htm

November 21, 2012 at 7:41 pm |

District Judge Mike Norman of Moron County, Oklahoma

They say I'm senile, but the waxed tadpole bumbles mainly on the plain.

I would like to thank Your Honor for admitting attending Church is punishment, doubly so for anyone of intelligence. I would also like to add it then also means Your Honor finds attending Church delightful.

November 21, 2012 at 7:29 pm |

Twinky

And you're clearly an example of someone who's reading too much into it...

November 23, 2012 at 8:06 pm |

End Religion

You're right! Clearly most people's reading habits are comprised of a quick scan or surface read and then strenuous efforts to not let the story sink in or to think it through at all. Just let it pass right over one's head without too much of that taxing "thought" involved. Boob.

November 24, 2012 at 2:09 pm |

Al

If he really wants to punish the kid then he should send him to a Catholic church. There he can find out what it would be like in prison when someone thinks he's pretty.

The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.